In October 2015, in Puerto Varas—the northern gateway to the Carretera Austral—the ATTA Summit was held for the first time in Chile. During this event, American philanthropist and conservationist Douglas Tompkins publicly introduced a comprehensive development strategy for Chilean Patagonia based on conservation. He called it the Route of Parks of Patagonia, presenting it as an invitation to view national parks as engines of local economies.
Today, nearly 10 years after that presentation, Puerto Natales, a city near Torres del Paine National Park in the Magallanes Region, is one of the 60 communities along this route and will host the ATTA meeting on October 13. This gathering is an opportunity to explore this green lung of the planet—a destination renowned for its rich biodiversity and the warmth of its people.
Spanning more than 2,800 kilometers, the Patagonia Parks Route stretches from Puerto Montt to Cape Horn, covering a third of Chile’s territory. This vast expanse is vital in addressing climate change and the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
Almost 20% of the route’s area consists of peatlands, which act as critical climate regulators by storing 10 times more carbon than other ecosystems. Additionally, the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields make up the world’s third-largest reserve of freshwater.
According to data from the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), with calculations from the National Geographic Society and cartographic information provided by Tompkins Conservation Chile, the Route of Parks of Patagonia is South America’s largest carbon storage area. It stores three times more carbon than the Amazon rainforest, per hectare.
The ecosystems within the 11.8 million hectares protected by the Route store 6.6 billion metric tons of carbon—an average of 558 tons per hectare. This highlights the immense contribution of the Route to mitigating climate change.
The Route also boasts high ecological value due to its temperate rainforests, subantarctic forests, wetlands, ice fields, and the planet’s most extensive system of fjords, peninsulas, and archipelagos. Its 80,000 kilometers of coastline are home to over 140 bird species and 46 species of marine and terrestrial mammals.
Beyond protecting Chile’s natural heritage, the Route supports local communities that safeguard and thrive alongside it. These communities demonstrate how tourism can serve as a strategic activity for the sustainable development of the three regions the Route encompasses.
A study by the Austral Patagonia Program at the Austral University of Chile estimated that an annual public investment of $8.1 million in seven national parks in the Aysén Region could generate $11.1 million and 512 new jobs annually in the region.
Similarly, lessons can be drawn from the United States, where the National Park Service reported $42.5 billion in economic benefits in 2022. For every dollar invested in national parks, $10 is generated in economic returns.
In Chile, this vision is coming to fruition with the creation of the Mesoregional Strategic Program (PEM) Route of Parks. This initiative, led by the Chilean government, will fund and coordinate actions to improve the visitor experience along the Route.
As these figures and initiatives show, the Route of Parks of Patagonia is a testament to the harmony between ecology and society. It serves as a reminder that true prosperity depends on being in sync with the well-being of the planet.
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Video Youtube: Ruta de los Parques de la Patagonia